Triumph seems to release one of these weird novelty bras every year (they also made a bra that doubles as a bag and a bra that plays Mozart, among other things). I suppose they enjoy the publicity...I'm sure we'll be seeing this bra on some of the raunchier variety shows soon XD

Last edited by doinkies on Fri 11.09.2007 12:57 am, edited 1 time in total.

I don't think I'd want to eat with a pair of chopsticks I'd been carrying around under my arm pit.

if you look closely the chopsticks aren't carried around under your armpit.

but my question is why in the hell does it seem like some 11 year old came up with this idea? could you imagine some executive in the US trying to pass off a bra that carries a spork and knife in it? just rediculous if you ask me.

Totally weird!
Mind you, I've been watching a lot of Japanese movies, and these disposable chopsticks have been bothering me.
Are they really that common? Why not use washable ones?
*sigh*
the life of a conservationist is not easy.....

katafei wrote:Mind you, I've been watching a lot of Japanese movies, and these disposable chopsticks have been bothering me.Are they really that common? Why not use washable ones?

I think at home most Japanese people will use washable chopsticks, but in (by far) most restaurants you get disposable ones. In that respect I think the Koreans do it better with their flat steel chopsticks... even though those are a bit more difficult to use

katafei wrote:Mind you, I've been watching a lot of Japanese movies, and these disposable chopsticks have been bothering me.Are they really that common? Why not use washable ones?*sigh* the life of a conservationist is not easy.....

Early 1990's, after WWF criticized disposable chopsticks, some liberal groups insisted that you should carry your own washable chopsticks all the time to save forest. In middle of 90's, some of my friends started to bring her/his own chopsticks when they dined out. Bringing chopsticks became a kind of symbol of the environment movement. But now, most of them gave up bringing washable chopsticks.

The reason was to use disposal chopsticks is helping to keep Japanese forest. Originally, disposal chopsticks were made from thinned wood. Forest thinnings (間伐材)came up from artificial forest ( afforestation programed forest ?) to make fine lumber. After the WW2, Japanese government tried to make artificial forest by the close planting. So a thinning operation is needed. Forest thinnings became some small products. Disposal chopsticks is one of them. There are still many discarded forest thinnings without producing. The profits from forest thinnings, included disposal chopsticks, was used for maintenance forest. If they don't get profits from the forest thinnings, there will not be a heir of the forest workers. This issue became one of serious problems.

Nowadays, 98% of disposal chopsticks are imported from China. According to the statistics, we Japanese use 200 sets of disposal chopsticks per person, per one year. The newspapers reported that China will halt export of disposal chopsticks to Japan in 2008. If so, the price of disposal chopsticks will rise and percentage of disposal chopsticks made from Japanese forest thinnings might rise up. If so, I will be glad. We need to protect our forest and forest workers.

At the same time, some paper manufacturing companies try to recycle disposal chopsticks. They propound an idea of producing papers from used disposal chopsticks.

Each conservationist has different thoughts and ways of approach.
I don't deny people who bring your own chopsticks, and people who want to wear the eco-bra. It is not for sale, though.

Last edited by coco on Sat 11.10.2007 2:38 am, edited 1 time in total.

I've read in a book about Shinto that disposable chopsticks are still being used for several "philosophical" reasons such as;
1. Purity (using chopsticks a second time would make one's "spirit dirty")
2. All is one, one is all. The attached chopsticks are a symbol of that.
3. Your own, by breaking the chopsticks apart you make them your own.

Or well this is how I remembered it, it's been a while and I need to read alot more. Consider this a somewhat poor interpretation of the reasons he gave.
The import from China was also mentioned, but I forgot if he placed it in the same context as coco-さん did in her post.

I really doubt anyone would use the bra as a practical day-to-day garment.

Ever seen on of those fancy fashion shows with the totally zany outfits? Do you think anyone wears those in real life? Just like how those are designed for the runway and available for an outrageous price (probably because they only made one--for the runway), this bra was simply made to show off at trade shows and whatnot.